what happens next
by radycat
Summary: "But tomorrow wasn't there yet and Piper was free to keep pretending, if only for a little while longer."


"It was great," said Piper. "The perfect night out."

Annabeth only nodded and led her to her bed.

Athena's cabin was empty save for them, and the only light came from the moon that pooled in through the open windows. The tables and shelves were stacked with books and scrolls and Piper thought she even spotted a half-assembled cannon.

"…place is a mess," Annabeth mumbled while kicking a copper telescope under a desk. When they arrived at her corner of the room, she switched on a tiny nightlight. It flickered twice before bathing the area in an orange-golden glow and throwing cartoon-stars against the walls and the ceiling and the floor.

"Bed time?" Piper asked, tiredly. An evening nap with Annabeth sounded lovely. Maybe they could sleep until the world righted itself.

"In a few minutes," Annabeth promised. "How did it go?"

And it begins, Piper thought and her smile dropped. She stalled for a few seconds by taking off her shoes. "It was great. I told you. Jason was…he was the perfect gentlemen."

"What happened first?"

"He complimented me on my outfit." Piper said dully, studying how the light blended with the blues of her dress. The black hoody she wore over it had a busted zipper and was torn at both elbows. Annabeth had let her borrow it once a couple months ago and there was no way Piper was ever giving it back. She doubted Annabeth remembered. "I was 'stunning', apparently."

"You look nice in turquoise."

Piper blushed despite herself, smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "You mean I don't look nice all the time?"

"What happened next?"

"He flew me to the movies."

"Mm." Annabeth slid her arms around Piper's waist and drew her close.

Piper fluttered her eyelashes and rested her hands on Annabeth's shoulders. "What are you doing?" Her words came in a single breathless rush. She slapped herself mentally.

"Shhh," Annabeth brushed her lips against Piper's left temple. "We're flying right now. Up in the clouds and with the stars and stuff."

"'The stars and stuff' are a lot farther away." Piper exhaled unevenly, heart thumping. She hated when Annabeth did this. Hated herself more because she caved every damn time. "And uh, my, what girly arms you have."

"Wow, Mclean. What a mood killer." And Annabeth squeezed Piper in a vicious hug, lifting her slightly above the ground.

Piper squeaked. She kicked her legs and hit nothing but air. "Okay—okay! You—have the most—ha ha —manly arms I've ever seen!"

"Oh, what do you know, we have arrived at the theater." Annabeth let up, but kept her hands on Piper's hips. "What next?"

"We went inside and he got me popcorn." Piper's voice flattened, "and then he ate most of it."

Annabeth laughed, neck and face kissed by stars and hair glowing in the golden light.

Suddenly Piper wanted to touch her. She wanted to reach out and stroke her cheeks, her lips, and her jaw. Just to make sure that she was real. That she was here with Piper sharing this moment and this wasn't another one of Hera's cruel hallucinations. Her fingers twitched but her hands stayed at her sides. "Are you going to take all my popcorn too?" She asked equal parts playful and loathing. Gods, why couldn't she be normal around Annabeth for two freaking seconds?

"Yes." Annabeth raised her hand to flick one of Piper's braids. "But since I'll be paying it'll technically be mine anyway. Continue?"

"Uh, well, we watched the movie," Piper said, distracted by how close Annabeth's hand was to her face, "and when it ended he kissed…me." Oh, crap. Piper decided that now was the best time to flee to her cabin. Flee to her cabin and crawl under her bed and never come out. "Uh, listen, Annabeth, let's just call it a… ah." Her mind blanked at the feeling of fingertips trailing across her cheek.

Annabeth leaned forward; her eyes were already closed.

Piper blinked at the sensation, blinked again because she couldn't believe Annabeth was kissing her. Just a small, sweet pressure. She'd be cursing her mother later, but Piper couldn't help but let her eyes droop shut and tilt her head slightly for a better angle—just for another second.

Annabeth made a noise in the back of her throat.

And Piper echoed it. What were they talking about again?

"Then what happened?" Annabeth whispered when they finally parted. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes shined with stars. She was so beautiful it hurt.

"We came back to camp."

"And?"

Piper shouldered out of the embrace. This had to stop. "And then I asked her why she kissed me." She was shaking. When had that started? Her heart hammered near painful. The kiss she shared with Jason flashed through her mind. His clumsy hands, his chapped lips, the way her stomach had rolled. Unexpected. Unwanted. Some things just take time, Piper—

"Piper, I—"

Annabeth's face. Her gentle smile—she couldn't—this wasn't… "Don't," Piper choked out, hugging herself and backing away from Annabeth. Her knees hit the edge of the bed and she fell back on it. The night with Jason continued to reel, stopping and repeating a single, horrible moment like a skipping record.

Annabeth knelt at her side.

"He said he loved me," Piper said, fiercely. She gave Annabeth a wet, daring glare. "That he was in love with me."

Annabeth inhaled sharply. "… Oh."

"Oh."

"What was your reply?"

"That I knew already."

Annabeth quieted for a second. For a minute. For several minutes. Long enough for the wind to pick up, breezing through the cabin and ghosting through their hair. The hanging blinds creaked and the white curtains rippled. A couple of campers walked by, laughing and English broken with ancient Greek.

That should be us, Piper thought bitterly, sneaking a glance at Annabeth and the calm facade she only wore half-well. Not this. Whatever 'this' was.

"Piper," Annabeth began, pushing back a lock of her blond hair behind her ear. "I—"

"Please," Piper said, desperate. She rolled on her side, back to Annabeth and curled into a ball. What else could she do? "I'm tired. I want to sleep." In my own cabin, she wanted to say. In my own bed by myself.

"Okay. We'll… We'll talk later then." Annabeth said softly. This was how it always ended. She crawled over Piper and settled in beside her. It took a moment longer for her to envelope Piper in another hug, drawing her close enough to tuck Piper's head beneath her chin. "Goodnight, Piper."

"Night," Piper whispered back, affection and anxiety stewing thickly in her chest. Always a coward, she told herself.

Perhaps tomorrow she'd find these last few months had been nothing but a strange phase in her life, something to look back on when she was 59 with kids and grandkids and a husband who took a bolt of lightning in the morning instead of coffee. Perhaps, when they met the Romans, things would settle down rightfully and Annabeth and Piper could start acting like normal friends who didn't kiss or nap in each other's arms every other day. Perhaps tomorrow, Piper could finally face Jason honestly, Annabeth openly.

But tomorrow wasn't there yet and Piper was free to keep pretending, if only for a little while longer.

* * *

end.


End file.
